Whatever the cause, don’t just live with it. Most of the conditions that cause thirst are treatable.
What Causes Excessive Thirst?
It’s normal to feel thirsty after eating spicy foods or performing strenuous exercise, especially when it’s hot. However, sometimes your thirst is stronger than usual and continues after you drink.
You may even experience blurred vision and fatigue. These are symptoms of excessive thirst, which may signal a serious underlying medical condition.
Causes may include:
- eating salty or spicy foods
- illness
- strenuous exercise
- diarrhea
- vomiting
- burns
- significant loss of blood
- certain prescription medications, including lithium, diuretics, and certain antipsychotics
Frequent excessive thirst or thirst that can’t be quenched can be symptoms of serious medical conditions, such as:
- Dehydration: This occurs when you lack the proper amount of fluids for your body to function properly. Severe dehydration is life-threatening, especially for infants and young children. Dehydration can be caused by illness, profuse sweating, too much urine output, vomiting, or diarrhea.
- Diabetes mellitus: Excessive thirst can be caused by high blood sugar (hyperglycemia). It’s often one of the first noticeable symptoms of this type of diabetes.
- Diabetes insipidus: This form of diabetes occurs when your body can’t regulate fluids properly. This causes an imbalance and loss of water in your body, leading to excessive urination and thirst.
- Dipsogenic diabetes insipidus: This condition is caused by a defect in the thirst mechanism, resulting in increased thirst and liquid intake with frequent urination.
- Heart, liver, or kidney failure
- Sepsis: This is a dangerous illness caused by a severe inflammatory reaction from infection with bacteria or other germs.
To help diagnose the reason for your excessive, unresolved thirst, your doctor will request a complete medical history, including any previously diagnosed conditions. Be prepared to list all of your prescription and over-the-counter medications and supplements.
Some questions you may be asked include:
- How long have you been aware of your symptoms?
- Are you also urinating more than usual?
- Did your symptoms begin slowly or suddenly?
- Does your thirst increase or decrease during certain times of the day?
- Have you made dietary or other lifestyle changes?
- Has your appetite for food been affected?
- Have you gained or lost weight?
- Have you recently had an injury or burn?
- Are you experiencing any bleeding or swelling?
- Have you had a fever?
- Have you been perspiring heavily?
In addition to a physical exam, your doctor may order blood and urine tests to help provide a diagnosis. These tests may include:
- blood glucose test
- blood count and blood differential tests
- urinalysis, urine osmolality, and urine electrolyte tests
- serum electrolyte and serum osmolality tests
Depending on the test results, your doctor may refer you to a specialist. Treatment and outlook will depend on the diagnosis.
To remain healthy, you need to drink fluid regularly throughout the day. You can increase your water intake by eating water-rich foods, such as:
A good way to know if you’re getting enough fluids is to check your urine. If it’s light in color, high in volume, and does not have a heavy smell, you are probably getting enough fluid.
Every organ, tissue, and cell in your body needs water. Water helps your body to:
- maintain a normal temperature
- lubricate and cushion your joints
- protect the brain and spinal cord
- rid your body of waste through perspiration, urination, and bowel movements
You need to take in extra fluids when you:
- are outdoors in hot weather
- are engaging in a rigorous activity
- have diarrhea
- are vomiting
- have a fever
If you fail to replenish the fluids you lose and fail to respond to your thirst by drinking fluids, you can become dehydrated.
When you try to quench excessive thirst, it’s possible to drink too much fluid. Taking in more water than you expel is called overhydration. This can occur when you drink too much liquid to compensate for fluid loss. It can also occur if you have disorders in the kidney, liver, or heart.
Overhydration can cause a severely low blood sodium level that could result in confusion and seizures, especially if it develops quickly.
Thirst is your body’s way of telling you that it’s low on fluids. In normal circumstances, you should be able to quench your thirst fairly quickly.
However, if your urge to drink remains constant, or does not go away after you drink, it may be a sign of a serious health problem, especially if combined with other symptoms. This constant urge to drink could also be a psychological problem.
You should consult with your doctor if:
- thirst is persistent, regardless of how much fluid you drink
- you also have blurry vision, excessive hunger, or cuts or sores that do not heal
- you are also fatigued
- you are urinating more than 2.5 liters (2.64 quarts) a day
Last medically reviewed on April 16, 2019
Why Am I Always Thirsty?
Thirst is your body’s way of telling you that it’s running low on water, which it needs to work well. It’s normal to feel thirsty when it’s hot or after you’ve powered through an intense workout.
But if you’re constantly refilling your cup without relief, it could signal another health problem.
Dehydration
Dehydration means your body doesn’t have enough water to carry out normal tasks, and thirst is the main symptom. It can happen for a lot of reasons, such as exercise, diarrhea, vomiting, and too much sweating.
Besides wanting water, other signs can include:
- Dark-colored urine
- Not needing to pee as often
- Dry mouth
- Dry skin
- Feeling tired or lightheaded
- Headache
Kids who are dehydrated might also:
- Have few or no tears when they cry
- Have a dry, sticky mouth
- Go to the bathroom less or have fewer wet diapers
- Be cranky or sluggish
Diabetes
Thirst you can’t seem to quench, what doctors call polydipsia, is one symptom of diabetes. When you have this disease, your body doesn’t make enough of the hormone insulin or doesn’t use it properly. It causes too much sugar (called glucose) to build up in your body.
Glucose in your urine draws in more water, so you pee more often. That leaves your body wanting to replace the fluid you’re losing.
Along with thirst and more visits to the restroom, other symptoms of diabetes include:
- Blurred vision
- Feeling very tired
- Hunger
- Cuts and bruises that are slow to heal
Diabetes Insipidus
Despite its name, this condition isn’t related to diabetes. It happens when your body doesn’t make enough of a hormone that helps your kidneys control the amount of water in your body. Excessive thirst is one of the major symptoms.
If you have diabetes insipidus, you may also have:
- Dehydration
- The urge to pee often
Dry Mouth
When your mouth feels very dry, it can make you thirsty. Usually, it happens because the glands in your mouth make less saliva. You may get it because of medications you take, treatments for other conditions like cancer, diseases like Sjogren’s syndrome, nerve damage in the head and neck, or tobacco use.
If your glands don’t make enough saliva, you may have other symptoms, such as:
- Bad breath
- Change in taste
- Irritated gums
- Lipstick sticking to your teeth
- Thick, stringy saliva
- Trouble chewing
Anemia
Anemia means your body doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells. Some people are born with it, while others get it later in life. There are a lot of things that can cause it, including diseases, a poor diet, or heavy bleeding.
Mild anemia probably won’t make you thirsty, but you might find yourself craving more water if the condition gets severe.
Other symptoms include:
- Dizziness
- Feeling tired and weak
- Having pale or yellowish skin
- Quick pulse
- Sweating
Hypercalcemia
Hypercalcemia means the calcium levels in your blood are above normal. Causes include overactive parathyroid glands (hyperparathyroidism), another illness (tuberculosis, sarcoidosis), and even cancer (lung, breast, kidney, multiple myeloma). Besides thirst, symptoms of hypercalcemia may include:
- More frequent urination
- Stomach upset
- Nausea and vomiting
- Constipation
- Bone pain and muscle weakness
- Brain issues: Confusion, fatigue, and depression
- Heart issues (rare): Racing pulse or skipped beats (arrhythmia) and other heart problems
How Can You Quench Your Thirst?
The answer depends on what is making you so thirsty. Drinking more water is a good place to start. But if you can’t satisfy your craving for it, talk with your doctor.
Whatever the cause, don’t just live with it. Most of the conditions that cause thirst are treatable.
Show Sources
Popkin, B. Nutrition Reviews, August 2010.
CDC: “Water: Meeting your Daily Fluid Needs,” “Water & Nutrition.”
Teens Health: “Dehydration.”
American Dental Association: “Dry Mouth.”
Cleveland Clinic: “Avoiding Dehydration, Proper Hydration.”
American Diabetes Association: “Diabetes Symptoms.”
UCSF Medical Center: “Diabetes Insipidus.”
Johns Hopkins Medicine: “Dehydration and Heat Stroke,” “Diabetes Insipidus.”
National Institutes of Health: “Your Guide to Anemia.”
Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation: “Dry mouth: A Hallmark Symptom of Sjogren’s Syndrome.”
Mayo Clinic: “Hypercalcemia.”
UpToDate: “Hypercalcemia of malignancy: Mechanisms.”
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